Biology study different phenomena at multiple levels, from atomic resolution structural description to cellular cell observation, as well as proteins and macromolecules dynamics. The intrinsic complexity of these phenomena has generated the need for quantitative measurements and methodologies to assess properties of biological systems. The development of approaches and methods traditionally used in physics has been one of the necessary tools to unveil, at least partially, these phenomena since the last century. So far, tens of biophysical techniques have been developed for this purpose, ranging from hydrodynamics (for example AUC, etc), spectroscopy (CD, MS, etc) and kinetic characterization (ITC, BLI, etc) to diffusion techniques (SAXS, SANS, etc). The aim of this presentation is to highlight a few examples of how a physicist can contribute to the study of the life cycle of viruses, the allosteric regulation of proteins, as well as the development and characterization of biological tools to assess biophysical instruments and approaches.
Institut Pasteur